Abdul El-Sayed Becomes First Muslim Senator Despite Trump's 'Terrorist' Label

Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's US Senate race on Tuesday, becoming the first Muslim elected to the Senate despite a campaign in which President Donald Trump labeled him a terrorist and Republicans accused him of extremism. El-Sayed framed his victory as a rejection of that rhetoric. Republican opponent Mike Rogers and allies portrayed El-Sayed as a national security threat, citing decade-old writings on Egypt and his half-sister's social media posts to suggest Muslim Brotherhood ties, which El-Sayed denied. Trump compared him to September 11 hijackers, while Senators John Kennedy and Ted Cruz made derogatory remarks about his faith. The attacks fueled safety concerns in Dearborn, home to a large Arab American community, though most voters interviewed dismissed them as distractions from economic issues. El-Sayed, a 42-year-old Egyptian American physician and former Detroit health director, ran on healthcare and cost-of-living platforms.